Aquitaine
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What was Aquitaine in France?
Aquitaine was a former region of France encompassing the southwestern dĂ©partements of Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and PyrĂ©nĂ©es-Atlantiques. In Julius Caesarâs description of Gaul, Aquitaine was an area extending from the Pyrenees to the Garonne River. The Roman emperor Augustus later made it a Roman administrative district, with borders extending as far north as the Loire River and east to the Massif Central. In 2016, the Aquitaine rĂ©gion merged with Poitou-Charentes and Limousin to form Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The present-day rĂ©gion of Nouvelle-Aquitaine roughly matches the western half of the historical region of Aquitaine.
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Where was Aquitaine located?
Aquitaine was a former region of France located in the southwestern part of the country. As a region, it included the départements of Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The Pyrenees Mountains rise in the south of Aquitaine, but lowlands predominate throughout the rest of the area.
In 2016, Aquitaine joined with the regions of Poitou-Charentes and Limousin to form Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The present-day region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine roughly matches the western half of the historical region of Aquitaine. In Julius Caesarâs description of Gaul, Aquitaine was an area extending from the Pyrenees to the Garonne River.
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What are some major cities that were part of Aquitaine?
Several major cities were historically part of Aquitaine. These include:
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Bordeaux As Burdigala, it was the chief town of the Bituriges Vivisci, a Celtic people. Under the Romans, it was the capital of the province of Aquitania, which extended from the Pyrenees to the Loire.
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Poitiers The city and neighboring provinces passed under English rule as the dowry of Eleanor of Aquitaine for her marriage (1152) to Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II of England).
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Toulouse It was the chief town of the Carolingian kingdom of Aquitaine and, after 778, became the seat of the feudal countship of Toulouse.
Aquitaine's boundaries shifted through history. In Julius Caesarâs time, it stretched from the Pyrenees to the Garonne River. The Roman emperor Augustus expanded it north to the Loire River and east to the Massif Central. Today, the region of Aquitaine has been merged with Poitou-Charentes and Limousin to form Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
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Why is Aquitaine historically important?
Aquitaine's historical importance stems from its strategic location and shifting control between major powers. In Roman times, it served as an administrative district Aquitaine. Later, it was a Visigothic province before coming under Frankish rule Aquitaine.
The duchy of Aquitaine was contested among counts of Auvergne, Toulouse, and Poitiers before the house of Poitiers secured it Aquitaine. Eleanor of Aquitaine's marriages first united it with France and then, through her marriage to Henry Plantagenet, with England Aquitaine. It was a key territory during the Hundred Yearsâ War, after which it was reunified with France Aquitaine.
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How did Aquitaine become part of France?
Aquitaine's journey to becoming part of France involved multiple transitions and marriages. In 1137, Eleanor of Aquitaine married Louis VII, uniting Aquitaine with France. However, the marriage was short-lived, and after their divorce, Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II of England) in 1152, thus passing the duchy to him.
Later, the region was reunited with France at the conclusion of the Hundred Yearsâ War in the mid-15th century. Charles VII took advantage of political tensions in England to reclaim English-held Guyenne, encountering resistance from locals loyal to the English crown. The French forces captured Bordeaux and Bayonne by 1451, but English forces briefly regained control before their defeat at the Battle of Castillon in 1453. This defeat marked the end of English rule in Aquitaine.
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What changes happened to Aquitaine's status in recent years?
In 2016, Aquitaine, a former region of France, merged with Poitou-Charentes and Limousin to create the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. This change was part of a larger effort to reduce redundancies and costs within regional bureaucracies across France. The reorganization, designed to streamline governance, was approved by the National Assembly in November 2014 and took effect on January 1, 2016. The present-day region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine roughly matches the western half of the historical region of Aquitaine.
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Aquitaine, former région of France. As a région, it encompassed the southwestern départements of Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. In 2016 the Aquitaine région was joined with the régions of Poitou-Charentes and Limousin to form the new administrative entity of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The present-day région of Nouvelle-Aquitaine roughly matches the western half of the historical region of Aquitaine.
Geography
Except for the Pyrenees Mountains, which rise in the south, lowlands predominate in Aquitaine. The highest point in the region is the peak of Midi dâOssau at 9,465 feet (2,885 metres). Most of the land, however, lies below 1,600 feet (500 metres), and a significant percentage is forested. Chief rivers include the Adour, Dordogne, and Garonne; the last flows northwest through Bordeaux and then joins the waters of the Dordogne to become the Gironde estuary. Annual precipitation exceeds 30 inches (800 mm) in the northeast and increases in the south toward the Pyrenees. An oceanic climate prevails.
Although the average population density is relatively low and much of Aquitaine retains a rural character, the number of people living there has risen steadily since the 1960s. This growth is increasingly due to immigration, as birth rates have fallen and the population ages. Aquitaine is most densely inhabited in Bordeaux and its immediate surroundings, while population growth is strongest in the cityâs outlying areas.
Traditionally, agricultural activity in Aquitaine was associated with polyculture (the raising of fish and aquatic plants), but modernization led to far greater specialization in aquaculture. Farm production is dominated by corn (maize) and fruits, particularly grapes, which are used to produce the famous wines of the Bordeaux region (e.g., MĂ©doc, Sauternes, Saint-Emilion, and Pomerol). Vegetable crops are also important. Walnuts are extensively cultivated in Dordogne, and Lot-et-Garonne is one of Franceâs main tobacco-growing areas. PĂ©rigord is world-famous for its highly prized black truffles. Some livestock is raised in Aquitaine, mainly for meat. A significant number of farms raise ducks and geese for the production of foie gras.
Aquitaine is not a heavily industrialized area, although industry has expanded to include the manufacture of automobile components, equipment for the aerospace industry, food and beverages, and pharmaceutical products. Such activity is concentrated principally in and around Bordeaux and in smaller urban centres such as Bayonne. In the Orthez-Pau area, small quantities of crude oil have long been extracted, while Lacq became well known for its production of natural gas and its related chemical industry. However, very little gas is now exploited. Other energy-related industries include a nuclear power station at Blayais.
Tourism is widespread, particularly along the coasts. The Basque coast in PyrĂ©nĂ©es-Atlantique experienced a major development of leisure activity, centred on the towns of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and, especially, Biarritz. A number of small winter-sports resorts have been developed in the Pyrenees. In Dordogne many visitors travel to the valley of VĂ©zĂšre, one of the earliest known cradles of human habitation. Caves at Les Eyzies-de-Tayac and Lascaux contain some of the worldâs best prehistoric drawings and paintings. Dordogne also has about 1,000 chĂąteaus and a number of picturesque medieval towns.
Bordeaux is the main transportation hub, with a maritime port, regional airport, and high-speed train service (train Ă grande vitesse; TGV) to Paris. A network of motorways also radiates from Bordeaux.
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History
In Julius Caesarâs description of Gaul, âAquitaniaâ was an area extending from the Pyrenees to the Garonne River. The Roman emperor Augustus (reigned 27 bceâ14 ce) made it a Roman administrative district, and its borders were extended as far north as the Loire River and east to the Massif Central.
A Visigothic province in the 5th century, Aquitaine came under Frankish rule in the 6th century, retaining a measure of provincial identity exploited by local rulers. Long resistant, Aquitaine was finally subdued in the 8th century by Charlemagne, who bestowed it (less Gascony) as a kingdom upon his son Louis (the future emperor Louis I). It remained a kingdom under Louisâs son Pippin I and grandson Pippin II. Its chief towns were Toulouse, Limoges, and Poitiers. Devastation by the Normans in the 9th century resulted in political and social upheavals during the course of which various feudal domains were established.
The title of duke of Aquitaine, which had already been used by various little-known persons in the 7th century, was assumed at the end of the 9th century by William I (the Pious), count of Auvergne and the founder of the abbey of Cluny. In the first half of the 10th century the counts of Auvergne, of Toulouse, and of Poitiers each claimed this ducal title, but it was eventually secured by another William I, count of Poitiers (William III of Aquitaine). The powerful house of the counts of Poitiers retained Aquitaine during the 10th and 11th centuries, endeavouring from time to time to restore to the name its former significance by extending the boundaries of the duchy to include Gascony and Toulouse.
Then, on the death without heirs of the last duke, William X (William VIII of Poitiers), in 1137, his daughter Eleanor united Aquitaine to the kingdom of France by her marriage with Louis VII. When Louis divorced her, however, Eleanor of Aquitaine married in 1152 the count of Anjou, Henry Plantagenet, who two years later became king of England as Henry II. The duchy thus passed to her new husband, who, having suppressed a revolt there, gave it to his son, Richard the Lion-Heart (later Richard I of England), who spent most of his life in Aquitaine, often subduing rebellious vassals. When Richard died in 1199, the duchy reverted to Eleanor, and on her death five years later it was united to the English crown and henceforward followed the fortunes of the English possessions in France.
Aquitaine, as it existed under the English kings, stretched (as of old) from the Loire to the Pyrenees, but its extent was curtailed on the southeast by the wide lands of the counts of Toulouse. The name Guyenne (or Guienne), a corruption of Aquitaine, seems to have come into use about the 10th century, and the subsequent history of Aquitaine merged at times with that of Gascony and Guyenne. These regions were completely reunited to France by the end of the Hundred Yearsâ War, in the mid-15th century.
During the French Revolution, Aquitaine became one of many provinces reorganized into smaller départements. In 2016 the région of Aquitaine was merged with Poitou-Charentes and Limousin as part of a national plan to increase bureaucratic efficiency.